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Friday, January 11, 2013

Change Your Perspective

I wanted to share something that the Father used to encourage me this last year and already again in the first month of this new year. I pray that it blesses some of you today.

During some difficult days this past year the Father whispered this to me....

Change your perspective.

He asked me to get His perspective.

He led me to read through the book of Job many times last year.

I've read it before, but last year this book in His word came alive to me more than ever.

Job 42:10 is the verse that continued to be highlighted to me over and over again.

Then specifically, one simple word within the verse.

When.

The scripture reads like this..

"And the Lord restored Job's losses when he prayed for his friends."

Which friends?

The ones who betrayed and falsely accused Job!

Can you relate to this?

So many times our broken hearts get this biblical principal turned around.

We want to right the wrongs, defend ourselves and clear our name.

But God wants us to get His perspective.

He tells us again and again. Bless those who curse you and spitefully use you, so that you may inherit a blessing. What does inherit mean? It is something set aside just for you.

It has your name on it.

When people falsely accuse you, hurt you, use you and betray you....

We can choose to stay angry or we can choose to have God's perspective, forgive and pray for God to bless those people.

It qualifies you for a blessing beautiful friend. It qualifies you for double.

Last year I walked through some pretty dark days and nights.

So much of my life was under attack and there was very little that I could trust, except for
my faith and trust in the Lord.

And there were days that I doubted even Him. Truly.

At the same time, as the enemy would orchestrate it, I walked through some very hurtful things with some friendships.

Trust was a big issue.

This was in addition to walking through one of the most difficult years of my adult life.

I felt entirely as though I was having a modern day Job experience.

There were days that it hurt to breathe. Literally.
I would pray and the Father would take me to the same theme in the scriptures.

Pray for those who hurt you. Bless those who curse you. Again and again.

The last thing I wanted to do was pray for God to bless the people who had hurt me and my family with their careless words.

I also realized that none of my prayers were going to be effective if I prayed with anger in my heart toward those people.

I had to forgive them.

I forgave them and I prayed for them.

At first, through many tears and few words.

By His grace, I did it.

And then, as the days and weeks wore on, I began to pray fervently for them. All of them.

I kept a list.

Not of wrongs committed against me, but of people to pray for who had committed the wrongs.
I couldn't remember it all in my prayer time so I kept a list. Which, by the way, is not some holy moment with candles burning and beautiful music playing. I am a Mother to six children. I rarely have prayer time like that.:)

I prayed while I was doing the laundry. Cooking. Cleaning. Bathing babies. I prayed while I was driving in the car, running errands or at home rocking babies to sleep.

But I began to pray. I prayed my heart out for these women and their marriages and their families and their finances. I prayed for every good and perfect thing I could think of over their lives.

I will also never forget the way I felt when I received apologies from four different people the following week.

I just sat on the phone weeping with gratitude.

God is so good.

There is still much heartache for the Lord to recover and redeem.

But I continue to cling to the verses in Job 42.

God knows the truth. He sees. He knows. He also looks at the heart of His people.

I love the verses in Job 42 where the Lord tells Job's friends....

My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept Him, lest I deal with you according to your folly, because you have not spoken to me what is right, as my servant Job has.

He's talking to Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar. The Lord is calling them out on falsely accusing Job.

And then He sends them to Job to have Job pray for them.

This was only half the miracle.

Job had a decision to make.

The scriptures tell us when Job prayed for His friends (the betrayers) then the Lord restored Job's losses.

The other half of Job's miracle was being held in the prayers he prayed for his enemies.

This is God's perspective.

We can stay angry and hurt and full of bitterness and resentment over what has happened.

Or we can get our miracle.

It is our choice.

My prayer is that by sharing small pieces of my own struggle, it would help one of you today with yours. I pray that you would bring your hurts and heartaches before the Lord and allow Him to pour out His healing balm and heaps and heaps of His unconditional love. I pray that you would have the courage to forgive those who have hurt you and mistreated you and that you would also be prompted to begin to pray for those same people. I know it hurts right now. But in time you will have joy again beautiful friends. If you feel led today, offer those heartaches up to the one who knows best of all and watch how He will begin to move and pour out in your life.....

Here are just a few scriptures to encourage you in this area today.

Big hug sweet friends,

Sibi

1 Peter 3:8-9 Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessings, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.1 Peter 3:4:12-14Beloved, do not think it is strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may be glad with exceeding joy. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.Matt: 5:43-48You have heard that it was said, you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes the sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet the brethren only, what do you do more than others? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.Luke 6:27-28But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.

8 comments:

I have never actually made a list of those who have wronged me or hurt me...but I think I will. It may remind me to pray more. Thank you for showing us this perspective. May the Lord POUR out His blessings on you and your sweet family. YOU my dear are His pearl!

Sibi, I know with six children you don't have a lot of time to read, but I hope one day you'll read my novel, 'False Victim'. It's my true account of how lies ruined my families life. I had a woman make false child abuse claims and try to take my child...it was horrendous but we made it through. In the end it strengthened our marriage, our family and our faith but it was a HARD road. Forgiveness took a long time...but I did it.

What a powerful and moving post. How difficult it is for us to truly forgive and release the pain. It seems that at times we hold onto it, almost like badges of honor, of how we've suffered, etc. But our Lord suffered so much more for our sake. He bore our burdens and pains. It is only through Him enabling us that we can truly forgive and pray for those who hurt us deeply. Thank you for writing with an open heart. Ruth